How we created a café in only one month

We were excited to exhibit at the 2018 Restaurants Canada Show at the end of last month – Canada’s largest foodservice trade event! The theme of the show was “Innovation Unleashed”, showcasing cutting-edge products and transformative ideas. This was the perfect opportunity to unveil our new décor solutions, and we wanted to do so in a creative way.

We created a pop-up café for the show, developing a brand to highlight all of the different products we can offer the restaurant industry. While the brand was fictional, we followed many of the same steps you might expect when building a new business from the ground up. See how “Café a GOGO” was created in only a month by our team:

Step 1: Developing the logo & branding

The first step in creating the space was to develop a logo and the branding for the company. Our Designer wanted to create a café with a chic, boutique feel that people could easily relate to – a place where people would grab coffee to-go or a quick meal in a casual, yet elegant setting. Café a GOGO became the name for the fictional brand, and the logo and colours quickly came together.

Step 2: Designing the packaging and products

A few different products were developed to help bring the brand to life. We printed custom labels for coffee and biscotti packaging, wrap around labels for branded coffee cups, and stickers on rolls to distribute at the tradeshow. Special touches including rounded corners and reflective silver label stock helped to create an elegant and eye-catching look.

To help deliver the concept even more, a custom cut box for pastries was designed, as well as all the standard stationery items you’d require to run a small café – food and drink menus, business cards, and survey cards for customers. With these elements, the brand really started to come together to look like a fully developed café!

Step 3: Building the environment

The final piece of the puzzle was to assemble all the different parts for the booth, from the signage to the décor. To give the café an authentic look, we used an 8 ft. Premium Fabric Wall as a backdrop, mimicking the look of a barista at the counter.

Custom tablecloths and cushion covers were also printed on fabric with a fun coffee cup motif. This pattern was repeated in the roller blind samples we had on display, and on the rotating column that featured various wallcovering materials available. The finishing touch was an A-frame sign (similar to the sandwich boards cafes often have to attract outside foot traffic) made with chalkboard vinyl mounted to sturdy sintra inserts.

While Café a GOGO may have only been a fictional storefront, all of the hard work that went into brand development, design and print could easily be replicated for anyone looking to revamp or start up a new business. This was such a fun project for our team, and really allowed us to experience the process of creating a brand from scratch, within a tight timeline.

Interested in developing your branding or a space for your own business? We can help from concept to production to bring any of your ideas to life! Contact your closest TPH Branch to get started.